Link (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192662,00.html)
Top Democrat on House Ethics Panel Steps Down Temporarily

Friday , April 21, 2006
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House ethics committee, Alan Mollohan, will leave the panel — at least temporarily — while he defends his own financial conduct, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday.

Mollohan's decision comes in an election year when his party is accusing majority Republicans of allowing a "culture of corruption" in Congress.

Mollohan, of West Virginia, will be replaced by Rep. Howard Berman of California, a former ranking Democrat on the panel. Mollohan has denied any wrongdoing.

The only evenly divided panel in the House, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has been divided along partisan lines for the past 16 months and unable to launch any major new investigations. If Mollohan had stayed while under his own ethics cloud, the chances for the stalemate to end would have been almost impossible.

The Wall Street Journal reported two weeks ago that Mollohan steered millions of dollars to nonprofit groups in his district — with much of the money going to organizations run by people who contribute to the lawmaker's campaigns.

Also, a conservative group filed a complaint with federal prosecutors this year questioning whether Mollohan correctly reported his assets on financial disclosure forms.

While Mollohan's troubles threaten to become a major campaign problem for Democrats, Pelosi, of California, said in a statement that Mollohan decided on his own to step down and that she accepted his decision.

"The allegations against Congressman Mollohan originate from the National Legal and Policy Center, which engages in highly partisan attacks on Democrats," Pelosi said.

"The attacks are an attempt to deflect attention from the long list of Republican criminal investigations, indictments, plea agreements and resignations which have resulted from the reported long-term and extensive criminal enterprise run out of House Republican leadership offices," she said.

Using a phrase that has become a Democratic refrain, Pelosi said, "The Republican culture of corruption has been ignored by the ethics committee for a year and a half following the decision of the Republican leadership to fire their own chairman and committee members for doing their job."

While Mollohan and committee chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., had 16 months of friction, Berman had a good working relationship with former ethics chairman Joel Hefley, R-Colo.

Hefley sought to have his term as chairman extended at the start of 2005, but he and two other Republicans were forced off the 10-member committee after having voted to admonish then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

Since the beginning of last year, the two leaders fought over internal rules and staffing, and in a recent meeting discussed — but were unable to agree — on launching any new investigations.

mlyonsd

04-22-2006, 11:04 AM

And on the ethics committee no less. LMAO. Eat that you bug eyed Pelosi.

John_Locke

04-22-2006, 11:19 AM

thats one compared to what 10 no 15 no 25?

and it was taken care of and blame accepted and NOT foisted onto someone else

'Hamas' Jenkins

04-22-2006, 11:36 AM

If he is indeed culpable, he should step down and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law...end of story; The only sad part is the desperation of the right to try and play the 'gotcha game' when they are facing ten-fold the indictments. You might want to remove that plank from your eye, buddy.

the Talking Can

04-22-2006, 12:26 PM

look at that: accountability....too bad they don't react like republicans and simply deny it...good for them....I guess this excuses Frist, Delay, Cunningham, Abramoff, and others...oh, wait, they're all innocent according to thier party....yawn

glad to see SOMEONE held accountable in Washington even if it is a democrat...

Chiefs Express

04-22-2006, 01:15 PM

look at that: accountability....too bad they don't react like republicans and simply deny it...good for them....I guess this excuses Frist, Delay, Cunningham, Abramoff, and others...oh, wait, they're all innocent according to thier party....yawn

glad to see SOMEONE held accountable in Washington even if it is a democrat...

So your assumption is that all republicans are guilty before investigation and all democrats are not guilty but have the integrity to admit wrong doing?

What you are missing is that all politicians are tempted to do wrong, some do some don't and it's not party related.

jAZ

04-22-2006, 04:16 PM

At this late date, a lot of people'd have thunk...

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=138676

Ugly Duck

04-23-2006, 12:14 AM

Good.... I was hoping that eventually a dirty dem or two would get popped. That way the righties can't claim that this clean-up movement is part of a vast left-wing partisan conspiracy to discredit poor innocent neocons.

Braincase

04-23-2006, 05:38 AM

I try to be equally cynical about both the Dems and the GOP. Neither party is a bastion of righteousness.

Our government is corrupt in ways many would find difficult to believe.

Chiefs Express

04-23-2006, 06:50 AM

Good.... I was hoping that eventually a dirty dem or two would get popped. That way the righties can't claim that this clean-up movement is part of a vast left-wing partisan conspiracy to discredit poor innocent neocons.

Who says it's a left wing partisan conspiracy? You must have this thread confused with one of Taco's.

If there were a true cleanup movement the majority of the elected officials in DC would be removed from office and a whole new batch of crooks would have to be voted in.

The Dukester, Tom Delay, etc,. etc., etc.......
I guess they should start a right wing investigation of the democrats to level the playing field.

The Gov. of Kansas, Democrat, is currently under investigation for wrongdoing regarding money from lobbyists. I haven't seen that one bantied about here on the liberal DC Forum.

I think those democrats that will be crying foul the loudest might be the ones that takes the next fall. That will be poetic justice. I will be looking forward to those here that finally find out that the democrats are not the choir boys they all say they are.

Ugly Duck

04-23-2006, 09:32 AM

Who says it's a left wing partisan conspiracy?

I guess they should start a right wing investigation of the democrats to level the playing field.I kinda like you, CE! You're OK!

Adept Havelock

04-23-2006, 11:07 AM

If there were a true cleanup movement the majority of the elected officials in DC would be removed from office and a whole new batch of crooks would have to be voted in.

Truth. Politics has been a corrupt game since the days when Og wanted to lead the tribe, so he made up some stories to tell everyone about how Ug kept the best meat for himself, pushed women and children away from the fire, and sent only the people he didn't like out to hunt the most dangerous animals.